The invention relates to a wheel suspension having a shock absorber with a piston rod and a spring element, it being possible for the spring element to be mounted, for example, between a lower and an upper spring retaining plate and the head of the shock absorber being fastened to a vehicle body.
DE 1 505 616 discloses a device for rectilinear guidance of independently suspended wheels, consisting of a hydraulic shock absorber and a helical spring arranged coaxially therewith. The shock absorber is connected to the vehicle body in its upper region and is fastened rigidly to a wheel carrier in its lower region. The helical spring is arranged and configured in such a manner that, in the installed state, the half of the helical spring oriented towards the outside of the vehicle has a greater prestress than the half oriented towards the inside of the vehicle.
In DE 1 630 249 elastic mounts for an engine suspension are described.
An independent wheel suspension is disclosed in DE 41 00 296 C1. This suspension comprises an upright shock absorber, the piston rod of which is retained elastically in an upper guide joint fixed to the body. In the installed position the upper guide joint is prestressed about the articulation point in a transverse plane of the vehicle, in order to generate a torque which counteracts a bending moment acting on the shock absorber via the wheel carrier.
DE 102 59 093 A1 concerns a support bearing of a wheel suspension. A spring element has two elastomeric parts of different hardnesses. One of the elastomeric parts has a wedge-shaped receptacle for receiving the other elastomeric part, whereby a tilting moment which opposes a bending moment is to be generated.
GB 1,005,633 also concerns an independent wheel suspension in which the upper end of the piston rod of the shock absorber is fastened to the vehicle body via an elastic element installed under prestress.
DE 10 2004 003 132 A1 (=EP 1 564 037 B1) discloses a bearing for a damper element of a vehicle. An elastomeric element is received in a recess in a bearing plate. Prior to installation of the bearing plate on the body, the elastomeric element is soft and is retained substantially without prestress between cover and bearing plate. In the installed state the elastomeric element is retained under compression between cover and bearing plate, the cover being supported on the body.
In EP 0 218 824 B1 an elastic suspension for a motor vehicle wheel is described. A second elastomeric block is arranged between a lower surface of the chassis and a stop face of a stop element, the stop face lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shock absorber.
DE 10 2005 061 011 A1 discloses a connecting bearing for a vibration damper, comprising a cup-shaped bearing housing in which is arranged a disk-shaped transmission element fastened to the vibration damper and having parallel upper and lower surfaces, above and below which respective elastomeric bodies are arranged, a compensation element compensating an angular offset between the vibration damper and a connecting surface of the connecting bearing. The compensation element is arranged between at least one of the elastomeric bodies and the transmission element.
DE 10 2006 005 102 B3 discloses a suspension strut with adjustable spring retaining plate. An adjusting cylinder is supported on a bearing head which is connected to a vehicle body via an annular elastomeric intermediate body with a fastening flange. The piston rod has an elastic joint connection, the spring rate of which is lower than that of the elastomeric intermediate body. The elastic joint connection bears axially against the fastening flange. The elastic joint connection has on a support plate on the piston-rod side below the fastening flange at least one first resilient joint body and at least one second resilient joint body above the fastening flange.
Wheel suspensions comprising, for example, McPherson struts or double transverse arm systems can be subject to a bending moment acting on the shock absorber, which can be generated by external loads, such as road surface loads, or by internal loads generated, for example, by other suspension elements. In the case of McPherson suspensions the bending moments acting on the shock absorber can be compensated, for example, by the position of the line of action of a helical spring. However, this can lead to considerable problems regarding installation space, for example in relation to enlarged wheels or tires.